


Dashed and Renewed

by feelsandbooksandshit



Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, First Meetings, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:22:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27987642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/feelsandbooksandshit/pseuds/feelsandbooksandshit
Summary: [Dominic had left his guitar in his home, vowing to find happiness in other things, productive things, things that made others happy so surely they would make him happy too.]Dominic grows up, featuring backstory and first meetings.
Relationships: Dominic Allen/Lauren Dunn/Marshall Lucas
Kudos: 1





	Dashed and Renewed

**Author's Note:**

> Content Warnings: Mentioned teen pregnancy and creepy men overstepping their boundaries.

Meeting Lauren and Marshall was the separation point of Dominic's life. There's moments in everyone's lives that divide it into a clear _before_ and _after._ For Dominic, there were a few moments like that, but this one had given him hope again. The hope that had slowly flickered year by year, spreadsheet by spreadsheet, meeting by meeting.

His 'before' started as an 'after.' After high school. After his "peak." After he did what he felt obligated to do.

Cliques didn't exist back in high school, or if they did, he ignored them. Dominic snuck his way into every 'group,' floating but never necessarily _fitting._ A sociable guy with an interest in the rock bands he had heard growing up. At parties, he was 'the big guy with the guitar.' Girls would throw their arms around his shoulder and slur encouragements, vowing to see him in concert one day. 

"And I'll say, 'I knew him in high school!'"

But by his graduation in 2005, the number of popular rock bands dwindled. The demand was falling to the side as R&B, rap, and pop took over. Still, he fiddled with that old guitar and tried to stay hopeful.

He hadn't felt that encouraged to pursue music, at least not by his parents.

"That's not a career, come on, Dom," His mother would scold.

"Grow up, you're an adult now," His father added.

Still unsure, Dominic took a year off from school, working in fast food to pay rent to his parents. He was pestered about when he would grow up already, lectured about being a moocher, but he couldn't bring himself to make a decision. Follow his dream, or get a 'real career,' that was the question.

After his sister Olivia came to him and confided in him, he finally decided.

"Please, please don't tell Ma and Papa, Dom," She had teared up before even telling him. "I didn't mean to, I don't know what to do."

He hugged her and promised to keep her secret and help her however he could.

"I'm pregnant," She whispered it, so quiet that Dominic could barely hear her. But he did.

She was 16 at the time.

Eventually, she had to tell their parents. Their disappointment in their children was obvious throughout the house.

"We were lucky with Gabe," Their mom would mutter with her head in her hands.

Dominic had to step it up. For his incoming niece, for his sister, for his older brother, for his parents. It was time to grow up. So he did. He applied for college, planning to major in business.

Despite the friends he'd made and the parties he'd attended, there was always a weight on his soul. His roommate encouraged him to say screw his parents and do whatever he wanted. The proud face his parents gave him when he finished that first semester made him brush that idea off.

The day Melanie was born was magical. Olivia had powered through the judgement from her peers and disappointment from their parents, and her beautiful daughter was a trophy of her resilience. Even Gabe was there, just having gotten back from being deployed for months. The family felt whole, united by their niece, their granddaughter, their daughter.

Then that day ended.

And the second semester ended.

Finals had weighed on Dominic. There was no joy in his studies, no passion for the work he was forcing himself to go through, no point to any of it. He kept the face up, inspiring his friends on their way, trying to motivate himself. He attended end-of-the-school-year parties and there was no doubt he enjoyed himself, he loved his friends and the city life, but once he was alone, it was different. 

Dominic had left his guitar in his home, vowing to find happiness in other things, productive things, things that made others happy so surely they would make him happy too. Still, everyday he yearned to play.

The summer was spent with his niece, babysitting her so that Olivia could live her 'normal teenage life' as best as she could. Her last summer of being a teenager. He knew how much she wanted to savor it, and she deserved to. He just wished he hadn't taken his last year of being a teenager for granted.

As Olivia was planning out her senior year, Dominic listened on, bouncing Melanie on his lap. Seeing the passion she had for her last homecoming, her prom, her graduation, he couldn't help but feel a bit envious. Still, he brushed it off, immersing himself in her excited speech.

With each holiday, Dominic would return home and get a break from his studies, and with each break, he felt his will to leave college weaken. Even when Gabe joined the table, his parents still made sure to ask Dominic how classes were going, how close he was to finishing them, and show their pride in him. He made the right decision, and he knew it. That New Years night, veins filled with alcohol, he took his guitar from his old room and walked the streets of the town. He stopped in front of the local thrift store, unsure of how long he'd been walking. They were closed, of course, so he gently leaned the guitar against the doors. He stepped back, staring at the door where he was soon going to abandon that old guitar that hadn't been tuned in almost two years.

He wept. At first he didn't even realize, but he felt too exhausted to stand, and when he crouched, tears fell to the sidewalk. There was no shame in mourning what was lost. So he cried and sobbed and hugged himself for what felt like years.

Eventually, Olivia called out to him from her car that Dominic hadn't even heard pull up. She had been searching for him since she'd noticed that he didn't come back.

"You okay, hermano?" As she went to get out of the car, Dominic stood, waving her off. He nodded in response to the question and climbed into the passengers side.

Looking around the car, he commented, "Where's Mel?"

"Gabe's got her."

He nodded, and they sat in near silence, with some radio station playing faintly, until they got home. Olivia parked in the driveway, but didn't move to get out.

"How are you feeling?"

Dominic looked at her, and she was ethereal. He remembered her tear-stained face just about two years prior. Now she was strong and beautiful, grown out of her childish posture. The sight made him tear up again. Instead of answering her, he asked, "When did you get so old?" Olivia smiled and put a hand on his arm, but he continued before she could reply. "I remember when you were Mel's height," he gestured, putting his hand to show how tall that was, "My hermanita, remember that?"

She rolled her eyes and rested her head on his bicep. "I'm still your _hermanita,_ Dom."

"You're all big now! You're a mom, you're graduating soon," He trailed off as he put his head on top of Olivia's before giving her a kiss on the top of her head. "I'm so proud of you."

"Thank you."

Olivia opened her mouth to say something else, but Gabe opened the front door, carrying Melanie in his arms. He picked up her little arm and waved to Olivia and Dominic, before gesturing inside with his head. They left the car, and Dominic said his goodnights to his family before heading to his old bedroom to sleep.

Two years later, Dominic graduated college with a high GPA and a shiny new diploma. With previous experience from internships and his knowledge from his classes, he secured a nice office job in Arizona. The family celebrated, including Olivia's new fiancé, Patrick.

"Tío Dom!" Melanie giggled as Dominic spun her in the air. He was happy. The whole family was. He made the right choice.

It wasn't until after dinner, soon after Patrick and Olivia had put Melanie to sleep in Olivia's old bedroom, that something changed his feelings.

Dominic was sitting on the steps near the front door, breathing in the night air, when Olivia sat next to him. For a moment she didn't speak, she just took his hand and held it in hers. When Dominic looked over to her, she reached back behind herself with her other hand.

"What are you doing?" He said, raising an eyebrow at her teasingly.

"You'll see!" She grinned at him, but didn't move. Her smile sombered as she said, "First, I just... I want to tell you I'm proud of you."

"Isn't that my line?" Dominic smiled back at her.

"Yeah, yeah... I really am, hermano. I know you've been struggling with your major, and leaving music behind, but you made it." Dominic nodded at her, squeezing her hand, before Olivia continued, "But speaking of music..." With that, she moved her other hand and brought out a guitar from behind her back. In fact, it wasn't just _a_ guitar, it seemed to be just like his old one.

"Wha-" Dominic let go of her hand to reach for the guitar, which she placed into his hands. Upon closer inspection, he noticed the same scratches in the neck that he'd accidentally made from when he brought it to high school parties. "How did you get this, Vivi?"

"The same night you left it behind, I went back." After a shocked silence, she continued, "Come on, as if I would let you get rid of that old thing."

"You've kept this for that long?"

"Well, if I gave it to you _before,_ you would've just gotten rid of it again!" Olivia bumped his arm. "Look, you did it. You made us all proud, and you've got that Arizona job now, right?"

After a moment of silence, Dominic replied, "I don't even know if I remember how to play this anymore."

"I'm sure you do! And even if you don't, you have all the time in the world to relearn. Speaking of, Mel has been staring at that thing! You better play for us soon!"

Completely overwhelmed with emotion, all Dominic could do was put the guitar down before reaching over and giving Olivia a tight hug. If a few tears fell on her head, she didn't seem to mind.

* * *

The first night he saw Lauren and Marshall was a nearly decade later, when he went to a bar with his coworkers after a successful deal with another company.

A band was playing on the stage for the first 40 minutes they were there, but the moment their set ended, the owner came up on stage. He was clearly in his 50s with a portly frame. He smiled from the side of his mouth as he grabbed the microphone and spoke.

"Ay, can we get another round of applause for On Gazette!" The bar's occupants halfheartedly followed orders as the band, On Gazette, waved and left. Once the scattered claps ended, the man continued with slurred words, "Now it's time for a new showcase of a special girl that I met just recently. Come out here, baby." 

The woman who walked on stage was quietly beautiful. It wasn't that people couldn't see her beauty, it was the way she carried herself in such a delicate, unassuming way. Her hair wasn't voluminous, but it was soft and straight, though slightly scattered. It was hard to see her face from so far away, but her almost-black brown eyes still caught in the stage lights. She looked gorgeously plain, in a good way.

Since Dominic was already caught up in gazing at the woman, it wasn't hard to spot the moment that the owner put his hand on the small of her back, and she tensed. Dominic's stomach curled slightly, but he assumed it was the alcohol.

"Tell them your name, honey." The owner trailed his fingers up and down the woman's back, and she edged away from his touch slightly, leaning into the mic.

"I'm Lauren Dunn." She smiled a bit, though it didn't reach her eyes, and waved. Dominic waved back, but he doubted she could see him from where he sat.

"What're you here for?" The portly man asked, not quite looking at her face.

"I'm an aspiring comedian."

After a pause, the man said, "Go on, tell us some jokes."

Lauren's face turned panicked for a second. "Right now?" A few of the bar's occupants let out laughs, including one of Dominic's coworkers. Dominic nudged him.

"Well, that's what you're here to do, right?" The owner's voice was almost snarky, and he wrapped an arm around Lauren's waist. She gently, subtly tried pushing his arm away, but he didn't budge, so she just took the mic in her hand and slightly walked away, just enough to get free of his grip.

"Um, heh," Lauren tightened her grip on the mic. "So, I guess, I mean, I think that the pinky toe's true purpose is to check if your furniture is still hard." Even though she nervously laughed at her own 'joke', there was barely a response from the crowd. Dominic and a few others tried to laugh out of pity, but it was clear to everyone that no one really found the joke funny. A few people laughed _at_ her, including the same coworker as before.

"Hey, she's trying," Dominic whispered to him.

"Yeah, and she's failing," The coworker replied.

Without a mic, the owner shouted so everyone could hear him say, "Try another, sugar!"

A bar occupant in the crowd heckled, "Yeah, come on!"

Lauren's face was full panic now, but she nodded. "Well, if I had a dollar for every existential crisis I've ever had..." She paused for a moment, pretending to think, before finishing, "Does money even matter?"

A few scattered laughs rang out from people who got the joke, including Dominic, but most people either didn't get it, or didn't find it funny. Dominic was unable to bear seeing the poor woman get treated like that any further, so he discreetly stood up, giving a nod to his coworkers, and headed to the men's bathroom.

By the time he was leaving the bathroom, the owner had taken back the microphone, and Lauren was quickly leaving the stage, putting an arm over her face as she stormed out of the bar. She left through the side doors, and Dominic went back to the table where his coworkers sat.

"Hey, I'm gonna head out for tonight. See you at work, guys." They waved him off and said their goodbyes, and he exited through the door he'd seen Lauren leave through.

The door opened to an alleyway, where he heard voices from the left.

"Are you alright, ma'am?" A man's voice called, gentle and comforting. There was no response. When Dominic looked, he saw a thin man, the same height as the woman, with curly hair and glasses, standing near the same woman from the stage. Lauren was hugging herself and looking at the ground, but didn't move. The man didn't move either, staying a short distance from her to give her space. He continued, "That was really messed up, I'm sorry... I thought you were funny!"

"You're just saying that." It was hard to hear Lauren's gentle voice now that she didn't have a mic, so Dominic stepped closer. The two heard his footsteps and turned. Lauren groaned in distress and hugged herself tighter. "I'm sorry I sucked, please leave me alone!"

"Hey, it's alright, I'm not here to heckle you..." Dominic held his hands up in surrender, trying to catch Lauren's eye. She stared at him, tears in her eyes, not to mention the still fresh tear tracks already on her face. "He's right, you were funny! That creep just put on you the spot." His stomach stirred again, feeling disgusted at the owner. He silently vowed to never give money to that bar ever again. Lauren didn't reply, she just shook her head.

"Yeah! If I could, I would give that guy a piece of my mind!" The other man replied.

Lauren backed into the bar's outer wall and slid down it, sitting down on the concrete floor. Dominic grimaced slightly, sure that the floor was probably covered in disgusting things. "I deserved it."

"No one deserves that," Dominic called. The man backed against the wall opposite to Lauren and sat down too, despite his visible discomfort from touching the floor.

"Exactly." After a pause, the man said, "I'm Marshall, by the way." He held out a hand to her. She looked up, seeming so small, before shaking his hand.

"I'm Lauren."

For a split moment, Dominic wondered if he would be intruding by introducing himself, but he quickly pushed that away and walked closer to the duo before also sitting down on the gross floor and holding both of his hands out. "I'm Dominic, but my pals call me Dom."

Marshall grabbed one of his hands and shook it, smiling warmly. Dominic was able to get a proper look at him now that he was closer and less shrouded in darkness. The man was youthful, with a never-wavering air of kindness surrounding him. He was handsome in the most endearing way, with soft eyes and fluffy hair. His hand was free of callouses, unlike Dominic's own.

Lauren was more hesitant to accept the handshake, but soon gently grabbed his other hand and shook as well. She looked between the two of them, wary but calmer. She took a deep breath, as if breathing for the first time all night.

Dominic continued, "As much as I'd love to stay on the floor, don't you think the alley way is a little bit gross?"

Immediately, Lauren's eyes widened and she gasped, moving to stand. Marshall let out a small, "Aaah!" before standing to his feet, though he wobbled slightly. Dominic caught his arm so he wouldn't fall, and held out another hand to help Lauren fully to her feet. She took it, and Marshall nodded gratefully.

After a pause of silence, Lauren spoke, "I'm so sorry to ask, but my ride didn't stick around, and I really don't want to walk around this late, and you both seem really nice, and-"

Marshall cut her off, putting his hands up. "Say no more," He looked at Dominic as well, saying, "Do you need a ride?"

"I had a few drinks, so I would think so," Dominic smiled. Though he wanted to question why either of the two would trust each other or himself so easily, something about them gave him a strange peace of mind. From that moment, he was sure there wasn't an evil bone in their bodies.

**Author's Note:**

> The jokes featured are from real stand up comedians. They are, respectively, @WyattFeeGrado and @TimRossComedy


End file.
